Jennifer Nettles
Jennifer Nettles |
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Jennifer Nettles (born September 12, 1974 in Douglas, Georgia[1]) is an American country music artist. She is known primarily for her role as lead vocalist of the duo Sugarland alongside Kristian Bush. Before Sugarland's inception, she also fronted Atlanta, Georgia-based bands called Soul Miner's Daughter and Jennifer Nettles Band. She also charted as a duet partner on the country version of rock band Bon Jovi's 2006 single "Who Says You Can't Go Home", a Number One hit on the Billboard charts.[2]
Musical beginnings
Nettles began performing at school assemblies, her Southern Baptist church, and at regional theater. She was also a member of Georgia 4-H's Clovers & Company performing arts group from 1986 to 1993.[3]
Nettles attended Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia where she studied Sociology and Anthropology.[4] While a student there, Nettles and Cory Jones (who at the time was studying classical guitar at the University of Georgia) formed the group Soul Miner’s Daughter. Performing as both an acoustic duo and with a band, they released two albums: The Sacred and Profane in 1996 and Hallelujah in 1998, both of which were composed of songs written collaboratively by Jones and Nettles.[5]
In 1999, she formed the Jennifer Nettles Band, with whom she released three studio albums and two live albums. The band, who in addition to Nettles included Brad Sikes (drums), Scott Nicholson (piano), Wesley Lupold (bass), and Mike Cebulski (percussion), was selected the grand prize winner from more than 2000 bands in "The Big Deal $100,000 Music Search" presented by Mars Music and was invited to perform at Lilith Fair in 1999.[6]
Friends Jay Memory and Bubba Dean, who perform as Memory Dean, invited Nettles to sing on their 1999 release Still Hungry Souls. According to Alan Back, writing for The Technique, the Georgia Institute of Technology's student newspaper, Nettles' vocals "lend a powerful gospel tone to "Fix My Heart," a standout cut on the album."[7]
Sugarland
In 2003, Nettles teamed up with Kristen Hall and Kristian Bush to form Sugarland. Regarding the trio's collaboration, she said:
"We really wanted to get out of where we had all been as artists and move beyond that to something bigger. Consequently all the songs reflect that; 'Fly Away,' 'Baby Girl,' all of those songs - you speak to the human condition and write what you know in your life."[8]
Sugarland was nominated for a Grammy award in the Best New Artist category in 2006.[9] Although they did not win the award, Nettles and Bush performed for the awards show and Nettles presented both a Lifetime Achievement Award to Merle Haggard and the award for Best Country Group.[10]
A duet performance with rock band Bon Jovi, "Who Says You Can't Go Home", reached No. 7 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart and No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. The video for the song won a CMT Music Award in 2006 for Collaborative Video Of The Year. In February 2007, Nettles and Bon Jovi won a Grammy for Best Country Vocal Collaboration.[11] In 2006, Kristen Hall left the group[12] and Nettles and Bush continued on as a duo releasing Enjoy the Ride in November 2006. Their third album, titled Love on the Inside, was released on July 22, 2008.
In an interview on Fox News with Martha MacCullum, Nettles expressed interest in appearing in a Broadway play, stating in particular that she would like to play the role of Elphaba in Wicked.[13]
On Sunday, January 18, 2009, she performed at the We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial, singing James Taylor's "Shower the People" with James Taylor and John Legend.[14]
In early December 2008, Sugarland received three Grammy Award nominations and performed on the 51st Annual Grammy Awards show on February 8, 2009. They won awards for Best Country Song and Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group.[15]
On February 11, 2009, Sugarland received two nominations from the Academy of Country Music for Top Vocal Duo and Vocal Event of the Year for "Life in a Northern Town".[16] During the broadcast of the April 5, 2009 awards show, Sugarland was presented with the Vocal Duo of the Year award, ending Brooks & Dunn's nine-year run.[17] Nettles also received a Milestone award, presented to her by Reba McEntire.[18]
Personal life
Nettles grew up in the small town of Douglas, Georgia. She credits her mother, who loved listening to the radio, with shaping her as musician, writer and artist.[8] Nettles has a sister Katie Bryce Ricketson[19][citation needed] and a brother Seth Ricketson, who is currently serving in the United States Air Force.[citation needed]
Nettles was formerly married to Todd Van Sickle, one-time owner of Eddie's Attic, a music club in Decatur, Georgia. Van Sickle purchased Eddie's Attic as a means of supporting Nettles budding music career and quickly brought the struggling venue to profitability. Prior to that, Van Sickle (a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point) honorably served his country as an armor officer in the United States Army.[citation needed]
Activism
Nettles has lent her time and talent to support various non-profit organizations. In 2007, one dollar from every ticket sold during Sugarland's CMT Change For Change tour was donated to the Shalom Foundation.[20] More than $120,000 was raised in 2007.[21]
In 2008 she launched Common Thread, a series of musical events enabling artists to come together to share music and raise money for their favorite charities. The first three Common Thread concerts included performances by Nettles, Sugarland partner Kristian Bush, Emily Saliers, and Amos Lee and raised funds for the American Cancer Society, American Liver Foundation, Honor the Earth, and Intercultural Family Services.[22]
Following the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti, Nettles and Sugarland partner Bush sang on the remake of We Are the World as part of Artists for Haiti.
Discography
Studio albums
- As Jennifer Nettles Band
| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| 2000 | Story Of Your Bones |
| 2002 | Drag Me Down, Gravity |
| 2002 | Rewind |
- As Jennifer Nettles
| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| 2003 | An Acoustic Evening with Jennifer Nettles |
| 2004 | An Acoustic Evening with Jennifer Nettles II |
Guest singles
| Year | Single | Artist | Peak chart positions[2] | Album | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | CAN Country | CAN | NOR | IRE | NZ | SWE | SPA | ||||||
| 2006 | "Who Says You Can't Go Home" | Bon Jovi | 1 | 107 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Have a Nice Day | ||
| 2010 | "We Are the World 25 for Haiti" | Artists for Haiti | — | 2 | — | 7 | 1 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 15 | Non-album song | ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||||||||||||
Music videos
| Year | Title | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | "Who Says You Can't Go Home" (with Bon Jovi) | Anthony M. Bongiovi |
| 2010 | "We Are the World 25 for Haiti" (with Artists for Haiti) | Paul Haggis |
Awards
- 1999 Lilith Fair Acoustic Talent Search winner, Soul Miner's Daughter[23]
- 2001 Independent Music Awards Regional Poll in Atlanta for "Bad Girl's Lament" [24]
- 2005 American Music Awards, Sugarland wins Favorite Breakthrough Artist[23]
- 2006 CMT Collaborative Video of the Year, "Who Says You Can't Go Home"[25]
- 2007 Grammy Award Best Collaboration, "Who Says You Can't Go Home"[11]
- 2007 Country Music Association Awards, Sugarland wins Vocal Duo Of the Year[26]
- 2008 Country Music Association Awards, Sugarland wins Vocal Duo Of the Year[26]
- 2008 Academy of Country Music, Song of the Year, "Stay" (songwriter)
- 2008 Country Music Association Awards Song of the Year, "Stay" (songwriter)[27]
- 2009 Grammy Award Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group for "Stay" [15]
- 2009 Grammy Award Best Country Song for "Stay" (songwriter)[15]
- 2009 Academy of Country Music, Milestone award; Sugarland wins Vocal Duo of the Year
- 2009 Country Music Association Awards, Sugarland wins Vocal Duo Of the Year[26]
References
- ^ Jennifer Nettles website. Website bio. Retrieved February 24, 2009 in Douglas,Georgia.
- ^ a b Billboard website. Billboard Music Charts - Jennifer Nettles. Retrieved February 24, 2009.
- ^ Clovers and Company History, CAST MEMBERS AND SHOW PROGRAMS THROUGH THE YEARS!. [1] Retrieved August 27, 2010.
- ^ Agnes Scott College. Alumnae Spotlight: Jennifer Nettles '97. Retrieved February 14, 2009.
- ^ Back, Alan. Soul Miner's Daughter takes top honors at Lillith competition. The Technique, May 14, 1999. Retrieved April 4, 2007.
- ^ Entertainment Wire. Atlanta's The Jennifer Nettles Band Wins Grand Prize In Nationwide Music Search Competition. November 28, 2000. Retrieved March 23, 2009.
- ^ Back, Alan. Memory Dean makes life just a little less complicated. The Technique, March 3, 2000. Retrieved February 26, 2009.
- ^ a b Cronin, Peter. The Road To Sugarland. Great American Country TV website. September 5, 2006. Retrieved February 23, 2009.
- ^ Gardner, Elysa. Meet the best new artist nominees. USA Today, February 2, 2006. Retrieved February 24, 2009.
- ^ Lee, Lisa. Urban, Hill and Sugarland Prepare for Grammy Show. CMT website. February 6, 2006. Retrieved February 26, 2009.
- ^ a b Grammy Awards website. 49th Grammy Awards Winners List. (See Category 39.) Retrieved February 24, 2009.
- ^ Dugger, Brian. Kristen Hall leaves Sugarland. Toledo Blade, January 20, 2006. Retrieved February 24, 2009.
- ^ YouTube. Jennifer Nettles on FoxNews. August 13, 2007. Retrieved February 23, 2009
- ^ USA Today. Live-blog: 'We Are One' concert at the Lincoln Memorial. January 18, 2009. Retrieved January 20, 2009.
- ^ a b c Grammy Awards website. 51st Annual Grammy Awards Winners List. (See Category 38 and Category 41.) Retrieved February 9, 2009.
- ^ Academy of Country Music. 2009 Nominees. February 11, 2009. Retrieved February 12, 2009.
- ^ DeDekker, Jeff. Following the ACMs, part four. Leader-Post, April 5, 2009. Retrieved April 6, 2009.
- ^ McDonnell, Brandy (BAM's Blog). ACM Awards Continues. The Oklahoman, April 5, 2009. Retrieved April 6, 2009.
- ^ MySpace. Katie Bryce on MySpace. Retrieved February 23, 2009.
- ^ CMA Awards website.Trivia for the 41st Annual CMA Awards. September 28, 2007. Retrieved March 22, 2009.
- ^ Dining Stars website. Sugarland's Tour Benefits The Shalom Foundation. Retrieved February 23, 2009.
- ^ CMT website. Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles Launches Common Thread Charity Events. November 6, 2008. Retrieved February 23, 2009.
- ^ a b Ask Men website. Jennifer Nettles. Retrieved February 24, 2009.
- ^ Clover Country website. Songs From Famous 4-H Alumni: Sugarland. Retrieved February 24, 2009.
- ^ CMT website. 2006 CMT Music Awards -- Winners. Retrieved February 24, 2009
- ^ a b c CMA website. Artist Detail: Sugarland. Retrieved February 24, 2009.
- ^ CMA website. Artist Detail: Jennifer Nettles. Retrieved February 24, 2009.
External links
